This last weekend, my family celebrated my youngest daughter Jenna as she graduated from college. She finished in December, and as she continues to search through the want ads (my Gen X term, not her Gen Z words), it is indeed a new beginning for her. I’m very excited for her and can’t wait to see what she will do with her talents. She double majored in TV/Film and English at Pace University in NYC. Their graduation took place in the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. Of course we felt some Long Beach spirit that day, since Jenna shares LB Poly as an alma mater with the tennis great.
Though any college student will tell you that their goal is to finish, graduations, AKA commencements, are truly beginnings. Through experience as a business owner and volunteer, I’ve noticed that people often find one phase of a project their favorite. Beginnings are my favorite part of any process. Bring on the commencements!
This week I go through some pros and cons of each phase–cue it up, carry it out, and close the loop.
Jenna M. Smith, Graduate!
Cue It Up
As I said, the beginning of a project is always my favorite. I love considering all the possibilities, the planning, the opportunities, putting together a team–it’s all positive in my opinion. This is one of the reasons I love writing marketing plans so much. I can see all the ways a nonprofit or business can thrive. These are definitely PRO arguments for people who love the beginning.
One of the CONS of loving the beginnings is that you can get stuck there. We need project managers, timelines/deadlines, regular check-ins, or it doesn’t progress. Another CON for people in the dream stage of a project, is that they may tend to start too many things. The next new things is the best thing. The newness is so shiny and promising.
Carry It Out
Don’t get me wrong, I carry out tons of work to completion, but nothing is as thrilling to me as the starting line. Do you like the work once it’s planned? The second and third stages are equally important and it’s why we work with other people who have other strengths to help make it all happen.
The PROS of carrying it out is that for the most part, the path is pre-defined. Efficiency reigns supreme in this phase. The project needs good workers to dedicate themselves to finishing each task and doing it well. I know people who say with much gusto, “Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it!” The doers are steadfast and seem to feel a great deal of satisfaction for a good day filled with work.
The CONS are that sometimes, there could be something wrong with what they are doing. If they aren’t empowered to find flaws and suggest improvements, they might just do all the work without a component, or maybe in a manner that lends itself to lower quality in the end. Have you ever bought a piece of furniture with some assembly required but all the parts weren’t in the box? The group of people packaging the pieces probably were not told to double check that all the pieces were there for them to put in the box. They completed what they were told.
There are also people in this group who are naturally thinking through the process and coming up with new ideas. I call them “rearrangers.” They’ll suggest a different configuration for the process, they’ll notice if something is missing, they ask questions and they usually have a lot of experience
Close The Loop
If we don’t have closers, we have a lot of undone projects, and a really long to do list because things get started, maybe a little bit of work is done on each task here and there, and projects get very drawn out. Of course closing the loop was top of mind when the project was being cued up, and looking like the finish line was near as team members were carrying it out, but it’s the finishers who wrap it all up.
The PROS of finishing are obvious: completed projects! But there’s more. This is the phase where the advantage of hindsight comes in, and people strong at closing the loop, take time to evaluate, make recommendations, and improve the processes. They are often the ones who have paid attention to the star team members and make sure they receive recognition, they kept track of who needs thank you notes, and who needs improvement. They review the logistics, not just the team members. They are excellent managers!
The CONS come in if these stellar closers can’t move on. They can obsess over the smallest details. They want precision, but sometimes they will not concede that done is better than perfect; that completing things this time is for next time.
What’s your favorite?
Being good at one does not mean you are horrible at the other two. Many of us do all three phases on a regular basis. Some people LOVE all three phases. Please leave a comment.
Leslie A.M. Smith, a 30+ year veteran of marketing and public relations, is the author of Laws of Promotion, a 50-page marketing guidebook for small businesses and local nonprofits. Her no-nonsense approach is translated into her online class Boost. In three concise modules, she walks students through the three laws of promotion and helps them map the beginnings of a marketing plan.
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